September 24, 2017

Closer

I think this is the first post of 2017 which is not simply a listing for one of the outstandingly wonderful Unpopular mixes. No real reasons why I have not posted anything else until now, apart of course from A Whole Host Of Reasons, but I thought a reflection on this short piece by Bruce Davidson was possibly valuable. Anyone who was reading here in 2016 may have spotted something I wrote about Davidson as part of my 50/50 project and so will not be surprised that he is (at risk of coming over all Gushing Adolescent) one of my favourite photographers of all time. In this piece for the Magnum site Davidson gives a very brief insight into one of the most famous of his shots from maybe his most famous body of work. Any initial disappointment at the brevity of his text is more than compensated for by the conclusion that his brevity is the point. The mystery remains caged, as it were. As for what ‘advice’ other budding photographers may take away? It’s there in the final lines where Davidson reveals his ‘one secret’ about the image: "I felt close to Cathy.” It’s Davidson echoing Magnum co-founder Robert Capa’s infamous line about how "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough” and I think it’s just perfect.